New Box on the Block

A gourmet food truck from the Seattle area is hoping to gain new fans in Spokane

Over in the Seattle area, The Bistro Box had regular customers who would line up for the coconut chicken, Wagyu beef sliders, hand-cut french fries and fresh salads and sandwiches. Dozens of fans cried out with the announcement in June that the food truck was leaving the area, but their loss may be Spokane’s gain. The food truck pulled into town recently with hopes of winning over a new set of fans on this side of the state.

The Bistro Box may be the new food truck on the block, but its owners clearly already know a thing or two about Spokane — the truck made its local debut on Hoopfest weekend when the streets were filled with hungry crowds, serving sandwiches on fresh Petit Chat focaccia.

“It was a good starting point,” says Barb Pagarigan, who owns the business with her husband Floyd.

She’s from Spokane originally, and they moved back to be closer to family. They’re adjusting the menu for the east side of the state, and looking forward to filling Spokane’s growing appetite for fresh and creative fare.

Pagarigan recommends the coconut chicken, served served as dippers with a sweet-chili orange sauce or as sliders with coleslaw. The menu also features a variety of specialty beef sliders, such as the crowd favorite OMG Slider — beef topped with crunchy peanut butter, pepper jelly, bacon and cheddar.

Operating a restaurant that’s already mobile makes it easier to relocate, of course, but in many ways The Bistro Box is starting from scratch. They’re working on arranging a daily schedule of different locations, including a spot downtown and one on the South Hill.

In the meantime, the calendar is filling up with local events like the recent Ford Food Truck Challenge and the weekly Emerson-Garfield Farmers Market beginning this Friday.